Curated OER
Measure Twice, Cut Once
Elementary schoolers learn about metric units and how they are used by engineers. They learn how engineers use the units to measure mass, distance, and volume. Then, they estimate measurements of units, and compare them to actual...
Curated OER
Measuring the Volume of Water Discharge for a Stream or Canal
Students study how to measure and calculate the volume of water flowing down a stream or canal and use simple tools to make measurements. Next, students determine how many people cold live off the volume of water measured. Finally, they...
Curated OER
Explorations in Measurement
Young scholars define length and area. They identify materials that can be measured with a rule and yardstick. They measure length and area when given an object.
Curated OER
Mapping a Site Using a Coordinate Plane
Learners map their playground as if it were an archeological site. They locate objects on the playground and determine their location using coordinate points. A related lesson is Coordinate Grid: Mapping an Archeological Site.
Curated OER
Square Roots Using a Carpenter's Square
Students calculate the square root of a given number using carpenter's square measurements. In this math lesson plan, students relate this method on the Pythagorean theorem. They answer practice problems after the exploration activity,
Curated OER
I Can Use a Worm to Count
Kindergarteners use worms, puppets or other props to practice counting to 100. First, they listen to a read aloud of Count Worms by Roger Hargeaves. A worm pattern is used to count to 100, with each segment of the worm...
Baylor College
Needs of Plants
What better way to learn about plant life than by creating a class garden? Young botanists start with a brief discussion about radishes before planting seeds and watching them grow. To determine the importance of water,...
University of Minnesota
Motor Learning and Memory
What do our brains have to do with reaction timing? Everything! In a hands-on learning activity, young scientists participate in four card activities that measure reaction timing. Each activity gets progressively more complex, and...
American Chemical Society
Conservation of Mass
It may take up less space, but the mass stays the same. Tackle a common misconception about conservation of mass using a hands-on lesson. Learners measure the mass of substances before and after melting, dissolving, and undergoing a...
Curated OER
Giant Mystery
Third graders determine the relationship between hand size and body size using centimeters as the unit of measure, They use the relationship to find the size of a hypothetical giant. They graph the measurements using a spreadsheet program.
Curated OER
Target Earth
Space scientists use water displacement to determine the mass of a cubic centimeter mini meteorite, and then use it as a small-scale representative of an asteroid. They figure out the orbital velocity of an asteroid. Then they use a...
Classics for Kids
"Mars" from The Planets
Gustav Holst's The Planets provide young musicians an opportunity to examine how composers can create a suite: a collection of smaller pieces grouped to explore a single topic. After listening to "Jupiter," they examine "Mars" in...
Bonneville
Activities and Assessment of Vocabulary and Units
It's pass or fail, and one must pass to move on to the next lesson—no pressure. The second of seven installments in the Off the Grid unit has pupils demonstrate their knowledge of vocabulary as well as the process of using a multimeter....
PBS
Bogged Down
Enjoy a hands-on lesson that will certainly hold water with your classes. Young scientists design an experiment to determine the materials that absorb water the best. They test both man-made and nature-made materials and conduct...
Curated OER
Measuring Lesson Plans and Metric System Conversions
Students may review measurement, and metric system conversions by measuring one another and the world around them.
Utah Education Network (UEN)
Insides and Outsides
Give small groups handfuls of unit cubes and then dare them to build as many rectangular prisms as possible using only 12 cubes. This engaging activity serves as an introduction to the volume of solid figures. In addition to volume,...
Curated OER
Production Work Sample
Eleventh graders practice reading a basic blueprint for a closet. Using the blueprint, they identify the parts, measure and cut the wood and square a wall. They review safety procedures and use hand tools to attach a track to a cement...
Curated OER
What is my Angle? App
Learners estimate angle measures in this this estimating angle measures lesson. They use an application on their graphing calculator that shows various settings involving angles and then they estimate the angle measure of a clock's...
Curated OER
Introduction to Measurement
Students are able to observe and measure the variability in the length of the forearm and the length of the foot and to test a common belief of the foot is equal to the length of the forearm.
Curated OER
Desert Adaptations
In this desert adaptations worksheet, students are given a water filled sponge which represents an animal. Students observe their "animal" for a 24 hour period and conserve the water in the sponge as best they can. They measure and...
Curated OER
Using Java Applets for Inquiry-Based Physics Lessons
Using Java Applets in the physics classroom can be a great way to reinforce scientific concepts.
Curated OER
Proportionality Using "Jack & the Beanstalk"
Students apply ideas of proportionality from "Jack and the Beanstalk." They compare objects that are proportional to Jack with those that are in proportion to the Giant. They measure their hands and use those measurements to determine...
Curated OER
TE Activity: Bubbling Plants
Students study a way to quantify the process of photosynthesis during a given time using the Elodea plant. They design a hypothesis that they test in the hands on activity. They compare the amounts of photosynthesis that occur during low...
Teach Engineering
Efficiency of a Water Heating System
Tired of waiting for hot water? Groups of three determine the efficiency of an electric water-heating device. They calculate the amount of energy it takes to heat the water and the theoretical amount of energy required to heat the water....